[Rich Z]

Well, just for the record, this forum was originally entitled ".50 BMG Stuff", but I thought Overture would have a hissy fit over it. But that's what I have in mind.

Do you want to have this forum defined as 50 caliber and above? Or set a lower limit, such as .460 and above?

I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Rich Z]

Oh, I don't know about that. A few years ago a friend of mine gave me a round inch thick round stainless steel plate to try out some armor piercing ammo on. I had loaded up the 165 grain bullets pulled from old .30-06 ammo into .308 cases. I took my FAL out to my field and set the stainless steel plate out about 50 yards and took a shot at it. I thought I had missed it completely, because I had just stuck it into the ground without any sort of support.

I was VERY surprised when I walked up to the plate and saw that I had certainly hit the thing, dead center even, the steel penetrator just barely breaking through the back of the plate. This plate weighs about 20 pounds (rough guestimate), was hit dead center with a .308 that dumped ALL of it's energy into it and it didn't even wiggle when hit.

Now, I tried the same thing with a .50BMG using regular hardball ammo. Now as far as I know, all hardball .50BMG ammo has a mild steel core (except for the specially designed ammo), so it already has a sort of penetrator. Anyway, one shot dead center on that same plate at 70 yards knocked the plate up into the air and back about 10 feet. The bullet put a jagged hole right through the plate like it wasn't even there.

A friend of mine brought over some old cast iron weights from his weight lifting set to use as targets. He wanted to shoot a .50 BAD! One hit completely shattered those 25 pound weights. All my friend could say after every shot was "impressive!".

I do believe there will be jobs that a .50BMG can do that a .308 couldn't even dream about doing.

 

[Rich Z]

Man, you are overlooking the FUN part of this hobby. It doesn't have to be all work and no play, you know.....

Have some fun with this stuff every once in a while....

Nobody NEEDS a .50BMG! But everyone who has one I have talked to loves the hell out of shooting it.

 

[Rich Z]

To each their own, then. Personally I prefer the fun of shooting and the appreciation of fine workmanship in the guns I own. Sure they can be used for defensive and offensive means, but in reality, how many times will such situations occur in an average person's lifetime?

I used to practice the martial arts a VERY long time ago, but even back then I was smart enough to realize that the effort wasn't worth the practical chances I would ever need to use it without going out looking for trouble. That and the fact that I used to play keyboards in a band, and I had to choose between one or the other when we got to the hand toughening exercises.

Yes, certainly self defense is one of the reasons to have one or more guns, but in reality, it's like auto insurance: We have it, but hope to hell we never need to use it.